We all have a story to tell about why we did something or stopped doing something and how it helped us. When we share our experiences with others when we are telling them about what we do, we are building trust. Whether we are telling them about the benefits of working from the luxury of our own homes, our products, helping the environment, earning extra money, boosting our immune systems, why our service will help – whatever it is, we can share our experiences in a positive way. People relate to another person’s experiences. That’s our ‘why’. ‘Why’ we started doing something, and ‘why’ we stopped doing something. Let’s try to put away the fear of telling our own story, or the story of someone else, that was encouraging.

Think about others’ experiences. Then do it. When we are trying to change old habits, we have constant set-backs. It’s true. When that happens, it’s good to think about the stories we have heard, the experiences of others who succeeded in overcoming the same thing. How did they put one habit (good) in the place of another habit (bad). It could be trying to lose weight (starting new habit – eating plain popcorn at 7:00 pm; stopping old habit – eating chocolate cake and ice cream at 10:00 pm), starting a vitamin regimen (starting new habit – first thing in the morning, drink a cup of tea with toast and take vitamins; stopping old habit – drinking a soda first thing in the morning), reducing alcohol intake (starting new habit – drink two drinks and go for a walk; stopping old habit – drinking three drinks), shopping online (starting new habit – join an online shopping program and learn to shop there; stopping old habit – buying the same products), etc., etc., etc. Whatever it is, replace one habit for another habit. These are just examples. Everybody is different, has different habits and different goals. The point is, start replacing a bad habit with a good one and note the benefits. “Action repeated can form new brain patterns.”, says a quote in Awake Magazine, May 22, 1992, pages 8-12 in the article ‘Help for Adult Children of Alcoholics‘

Tell your story. Then, tell your story. After you have established your new habit, or even while you are in the process of doing that, relate your experiences. You’ll tell that experience over and over again as you encourage others to change an old habit.

Don’t forget why. While you are relating your experiences, don’t forget the ‘why’. “I wanted to lose some weight because I wanted to be two sizes smaller”; “I started taking vitamins because I was getting sick”; “I reduced my alcohol intake because I was drinking too much and it was affecting my life”; “I joined an online shopping program because the products are better quality and less expensive than the ones I was buying at the store.” Whatever the reason, it is YOUR ‘why’. Share it.

Attitude leads to the right behavior. Make your faith bigger than your fears. This applies to our business and personal lives.

Tomorrow is too late, yesterday is over, start where you stand.

I have started over so many times, I know exactly where the starting line is. Just stay in the race. Always know where the starting line is. We’re all going to start over and over. It doesn’t matter how much experience or age we have. There’s always a new adventure and something new to learn. mlr

It’s more important to walk the walk than talk the talk. mlr

Emotional wellness relates to understanding your feelings and coping effectively with stress. It’s important to pay attention to self-care, stress-reduction and the development of inner resources so you can learn and grow from experiences. This is important when you start a new adventure, also, such as a business working from the luxury of your own home. You still have to learn these things.